Germany passes 100,000 public electric car charging points on eve of industry show IAA

Germany now has more than 100,000 public electric car charging points - but the energy and auto industry are squabbling over whether this figure is too high or too low. “As of 1 July, electric car drivers have 100,838 public charging points at their disposal, with a total capacity of 4,5 gigawatt,” said energy industry lobby group BDEW. On the eve of the IAA mobility show in Munich, the utility association said the country already had an “oversupply” of charging capacity, given that the installed capacity is double the amount required by European standards. “The good news is that we have an oversupply of charging options,” said BDEW head Kerstin Andrae. In contrast, Germany’s car industry association VDA, which hosts the IAA, insists that a lack of adequate charging infrastructure remains one of the biggest hurdles for the rollout of electric cars in the country.

BDEW said the public charging stations were occupied only between 3 and 25 percent of a full 24-hour day, with an average of 11.6 per cent. This means that “generally, around 80 percent of the charging points are freely available” according to Andrae. The German government aims to have 15 million electric passenger cars on Germany's roads by 2030, and wants 1 million charging points by that date. The BDEW said the target for charging points is outdated because it does not take into account shorter charging times of modern vehicles. There are also increasing doubts over whether Germany can reach its target for electric cars. “The current state of affairs signals that the German government’s target of 15 million electric vehicles in 2030 will be missed by 50 percent,” according to the Center of Automotive Management (CAR).